Coronary Heart Disease Flashcards
What are cardiovascular diseases
Cardiovascular diseases are diseases of the heart and the blood vessels
Fill in the gap
Cardiovascular diseases are _______
Cardiovascular diseases are non-communicable
Give an example of a cardiovascular disease
Coronary Heart Disease
What is coronary heart disease (CHD)
Coronary Heart disease is when layers of fatty material builds up in the coronary arteries causing narrowing. This reduces blood flow through the coronary arteries resulting in a lack of oxygen to the heart muscle.
What can coronary heart disease cause
coronary heart disease causes:
Reduces flow of blood through the coronary arteries. This results in a lack of oxygen for the heart muscle
What can cause Coronary Heart Disease (CHD)
Smoking
High blood pressure (hypertension)
High blood cholesterol
Diabetes
Obesity
Family History
What could coronary heart disease eventually cause
Coronary Heart disease could cause, pain, a heart attack and even death
How can coronary heart disease be treated
Stents
Statins (drugs)
What could happen in extreme cases of CHD
In extreme cases, CHD can result in a heart attack, where the heart is starved of oxygen
What is a statin
A statin is a drug which reduces the level of cholesterol in the blood. This slows down the rate at which fatty material is deposited in the coronary arteries.
How are statins used to treat CHD
A statin is a drug which reduces the level of cholesterol in the blood. This slows down the rate at which fatty material is deposited in the coronary arteries.
State the advantages of statins
Advantages:
Statins have been proven to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.
(by reducing the amount of LDL cholesterol in the blood, statins can reduce the risk of strokes, coronary heart disease and heart attacks.)
As well as reducing the amount of LDL (‘bad’) cholesterol, statins can increase the amount of a beneficial type of cholesterol (known as ‘good’ or HDL cholesterol). This type of cholesterol can remove ‘LDL’ cholesterol from the blood.
State the disadvantages of statins
Disadvantages
Statins have unwanted side-effects. For example they can cause liver problems
Statins are a long-term drug that must be taken regularly. There’s the risk that someone could forget to take them.
The effect of statins is not instant. It takes time for their effect to be noticed.
What is a stent
A stent is a metal mesh placed in a blocked or partially blocked artery. They are used to open up the blood vessel by the inflation of a tiny balloon
How is a stent fitted in to a patient
A stent is a metal mesh that is placed in a blocked or partially blocked artery to keep it open. A tiny balloon is inflated to open up the blood vessel and the stent at the same time. The balloon is deflated and removed but the stent remains in place, holding the blood vessel open
When will a stent be used
A stent will be used when coronary heart disease causes almost a total blockage of a coronary artery
How are stents used to treat CHD
A stent is a metal mesh that is placed in a blocked or partially blocked artery to keep it open. The stent pushes the artery wall out, squashing the fatty deposit. This leaves more space in the centre of the artery for blood to flow through it.
Give advantages of stents
Advantages
The success rate is high.
They lower the risk of a heart attack.
They are last for a long time
Blood can flow normally through the artery
Stents can be used to open up a blocked artery almost anywhere in the body.
The recovery time from the surgery is relatively quick
Many stents also release drugs to prevent the blood clotting although some studies suggest that the benefits do not justify the additional expense
Doctors can put a stent in place without a general anaesthetic.
Give disadvantages of stents
Disadvantages
There may be complications during the operation like bleeding, irregular heart beat and infection
A risk of infection from surgery
Arteries sometimes reclose
There us a risk of patients developing a blood clot near the stent (this is called thrombosis)
Drugs are needed to stop blood clotting
Stents will not prevent other regions of the coronary arteries from narrowing
Stents do not treat the underlying causes of the disease
Advantages of fitting a stent
Doctors can put a stent in place without a general anaesthetic.
What can be done in the situation where stents cannot help
Doctors can carry out bypass surgery. This is when the narrow or blocked coronary arteries are replaced with bits of veins from other parts of the body. This works for badly blocked arteries where stents cannot help.
What is the disadvantage of bypass surgery
The disadvantage of bypass surgery is that the surgery is expensive and involves the risk associated with a general anaesthetic.
What are the effects of coronary heart disease
